Maya stela, with village buildings in background, photographed in Copan in 1892 - 1893. Cop獺n is an archaeological site of the Maya civilization located in the Cop獺n Department of western Honduras, not far from the border with Guatemala. It was the capital city of a major Classic period kingdom from the 5th to 9th centuries AD. Maya stelae (singular stela) are monuments of uncertain function. Hundreds of stelae have been recorded in the Maya region, displaying wide stylistic variation.